AKzentE4.0

 

Occupational Science Competence Center for Gainful Employment in Industry 4.0 in the Aachen Region

© Institute of Industrial Engineering and Ergonomics  

Motivation

Research is continuously developing concepts, methods and instruments that can be used to actively shape the work of tomorrow. However, the transfer of these findings to society is currently often slow. Small and medium-sized companies in particular often lack the expertise and entry points needed to implement these novel ideas. There is a need for support in the development and introduction of Industrie 4.0 concepts and technologies, as well as a need to investigate their impact on working people and conditions. At the same time, new scope for action and decision-making is emerging, which must be used to shape a technologically and socially innovative working world of the future. 

 

Objective

The goal of AKzentE4.0 is to promote a people-friendly introduction and implementation of Industry 4.0 concepts and technologies in SMEs in the region Aachen. The project will develop methods and strategies for work design, create an infrastructure for testing and evaluating technical solutions and for knowledge exchange, and support the networking of local players. In consortium projects, research, implementation and application partners jointly develop and test customized solutions for companies. Other sectors, for example the skilled trades, are also to benefit from the developments driven in the area of production. 
In a mixed reality model factory, consisting of distributed virtual and real laboratories, Industrie 4.0 technologies are to be researched with regard to their possibilities for workplace design and made tangible for companies. The consortium projects will develop occupational science methods and procedures that can be used for participative and prospective work design as well as for ergonomic assessment. In addition, innovative concepts for technology transfer as well as qualification measures and (re)training programs will be developed. 
The knowledge generated will be disseminated to companies, the public and university teaching in the form of good and next practice examples, educational offers tailored to the target group, and via the laboratories. The integrative network established in the project will be continuously expanded. It can thus develop into a central point of contact that supports regional players in successfully shaping structural and digital change through people-oriented, technological innovations.